Video streaming service Netflix has revealed plans to produce its own movies, following the success of its own-branded television shows.
The company has enjoyed acclaim for original content like House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Derek (written and starring Ricky Gervais) and Hemlock Grove, as well as the long-awaited 4th season of Arrested Development.
However, now Netflix has its sights set on producing feature-length content for its army of subscribers.
During its Q3 earnings review this week, the company’s top brass announced it’d be doubling down its investment on original video, which will include movies for the first time.
Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said: “On the movie side, I’d keep my mind wide open to what those films would be and what they would look like.
“Really the driver of it is, like we were able to break convention on television by offering all episodes at once, something that consumers have really loved, we’d like to do more of that in the movie space, in that today we’re held to the traditional pay television model, meaning the movies are not coming to Netflix until they hit pay television, almost a year after they are in theaters.”
“Even though that window is moving, I don’t know that it’s moving aggressively enough for people who really do have experience more in a demand or more on-demand lifestyle around their content. So I think that the more we could be aggressive with windowing by taking more control over the content earlier in the process, that would be good for our members.”
Sarandos’ comments seem to suggest that Netflix could perhaps become more on an investor in big studio productions in order to ensure they reach on-demand customers much sooner than they do at present.
However, given the relative success the company has enjoyed with its original shows (those on offer have been hit and miss to be honest), it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Netflix take control of the entire production that are available exclusively for its subscribers.
Just yesterday, the creator of Arrested Development, Mitch Hurwitz, admitted he was keen to make a Bluth movie exclusively for Netflix, following the popularity of the show's resurrection on the streaming platform. Could that be the first Netflix movie?
The company also made headlines this week when it announced 40 million subscribers in the United States, which surpasses those paying for top pay-per-view cable network HBO.
The news brought prophecies of impending doom for the old guard at the hands of the advancing forces of the on-demand world. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
